Lost Love
by ArcaneWeapon
Summary: -COMPLETE- Cloud decides to finally do something to get his lost love back. CloudAeris pairing. Rated M for the last chapter. SPOILERS
1. A Dream

**Lost Love**

**A FF7 FanFic brought to you by ArcaneWeapon**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters in this story they all belong to SquareEnix and I'm just borrowing them. Yadda, Yadda you know the rest.

I'd like to thank Anrixan for getting me into writing FanFiction with her excellent piece Zanarkand A-East and all the support I received from other members of the SF community. You're all great!

Intro: A Dream 

_"He felt himself slowly losing control of his body and before he knew what was happening he found himself rushing at the girl praying in front of him with his sword raised over his head._

_"Must… slay… Ancient," a voice repeated over and over again in his head._

_"No, don't do it! You LOVE her!" a tiny voice cried out from the recesses of his brain._

__

He heard his friends shouting at him in horror but he couldn't understand what they were saying as the voices continued to battle inside his head. The strange one was quickly drowning out the tiny one and his sword was rapidly nearing her perfect face.

"_Ugh... what are you making me do?" he asked the voice inside of his head._

"_Nothing much, really. I just need you to kill the Ancient, the one true threat to my goal of ultimate power!"_

_Just then, with his blade inches from her face, Cloud realized what he was doing. _

"_No! Never! You will never get me to harm her Sephiroth!!" _

_His blade stopped an inch before hitting her, his muscles quivering with the force it took to stop the blow. Unaware of what almost happened she looked up from her prayers and smiled beautifully at him, slightly confused by his sword but confidant that he would never hurt her._

"_Fine then. I'll just have to do it myself!"_

"_What? NO!" Before Cloud could react Sephiroth fell from above, driving the Masamune straight through the Ancient's soft body. Her eyes widened with shock and she slowly fell to the ground, her hair falling out of its usual braid to lay spread across the floor. The white orb she had been holding, possibly mankind's last hope, fell from her hands and rolled into the water._

"_NOOOOOOO!" Cloud screamed in a howl of pure agony and hatred._

He sat bolt upright in his bed panting hard. Sweat was pouring off him and covering the sheets. He had been having the same dream every night since she died, but never before in this much detail.

"It almost feels like it happened yesterday and not six months ago," he whispered to himself. "DAMN YOU SEPHIROTH! DAMN YOU TO HELL! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE!?" Cloud screamed, pounding the wall with his fist and making his knuckles bleed as he slowly started crying.

"I just want her to come back to me. I just wanted us to be happy and live our lives together. Was that too much to ask? Cait Sith even gave us a fortune saying that we were the perfect couple. We were meant for each other!"

"I… I'm so tired of being alone! I just want Aeris to be alive!" he wept falling down onto his bed, his muscular body shaking with his sobs.

**Authors Note: Wow…. That was a LOT easier then I thought it would be! Sweet I even like it too! Gives muse a high five! I didn't really like making Cloud seem like such a crybaby but I really wanted it to be obvious how much he misses Aeris (I'm going to use the Aeris spelling since I think Aerith is actually just how it's pronounced). Don't worry Cloud's going shape up in the 1st chapter! At this rate I should have at least 1 chapter up a night! Oh and to give full credit the line "Ugh… what are you making me do." is actually from the game. I hope you guys like this plz R&R!!**


	2. A Journey Begins

**Chapter 1: A Journey Begins**

Cloud woke up shortly before morning, surprised at how bloody his sheets were.

"Ow…" he mumbled sleepily as he walked over to his dresser. He grabbed a small green orb on top of it and muttered, "Full Cure." He instantly felt the skin on his knuckles seal and the pain in his hands vanish.

"Much better," he sighed as he began dressing himself. Once he was clad in his work clothes, blue jeans, a white shirt, and a special pink hair tie to keep his hair out of his eyes, he walked into the kitchen and began making eggs and toast. Normally he would eat a lot more, but after a night of troubled sleep he didn't have much of an appetite.

"Man… that dream really hit me really hard, and to be quite honest I'm really pissed off that I've become such a wimp! Where the hell did the old Cloud go? He wouldn't be sitting around alone in a little cabin, breeding chocobos for a living. He'd be doing something to solve his problems! But what can I do to solve…"

Cloud suddenly jerked upright, knocking the pan of eggs to the floor.

"Wait! If the Full Cure materia can completely restore a person to perfect health, and the Revive materia can bring someone back to life…"

Forgetting about his breakfast Cloud rushed into his bedroom, ripped open his closet door, and started stripping off his clothes.

So he could put on his armor of course.

He began inserting his most powerful materia into the five slots of his solid black armor thinking ahead to what he might need.

"Hmmm lets see… Full Cure is a must, I'm gonna need Barrier to protect against magic and physical attacks, Heal to cure status ailments, HP plus so I'll have more life, and Knights of the Round since its my strongest summon."

Cloud then reverently reached into the back of his closet and pulled out his favorite weapon, the Buster Sword.

"Me and you have gone back a long ways buddy…" He said as he slid his finger down the still-sharp blade, barely managing to not cut himself. "You ready for one last adventure?"

Without needing to think, Cloud quickly placed Ultima, linked with both All and Quadra, into the empty materia spots in the blade. Vincent had been the one to tell him about this deadly combo and he had never gotten a chance to test it out. With a single casting, the Ultima spell would not only hit all his opponents at once, but it would also hit each of them four times.

Cloud glanced at himself in the mirror and smiled at what he saw.

"The old Cloud is back!" he whispered as he re-tied the hair tie around his wrist before sprinting out the door, ignoring the mess on the kitchen floor and the smell of burning toast.

**Author's Note: Sweet the old Cloud's back YAY! No more tears and sadness for him it's time to kick some ass! But he should know better then leaving toast in the toaster! That could be a fire hazard! OOO suspense! What might Cloud's plan be! I don't know if you can actually combine Ultima, All, and Quadra but if you could it would be seriously badass! I know I said this chapter was gonna have a lot of humor but I decided to separate it with what is now going to be chapter 2. Oh and don't worry, other chars will soon be joining the story! Plz RR!**

**Editing Note: Wow… Looking back this chapter is DAMN short…**


	3. Surprise!

**Chapter 3: Another Old Face**

As Cloud worked hard to clean the coffee out of his armor and Tifa cleaned the sofa, Barret ran upstairs and began preparing for the trip. He was sad that he would be leaving Tifa and Marlene, but he and Tifa had both agreed that one of them had to go, and there was no way he was going to let Tifa go. When he stomped into the living room twenty minutes later, he found Tifa and Cloud chatting about what had happened to each of them since they separated. The room was filled with beautiful music as Marlene practiced the piano. She had only been playing it for five months but it was already obvios that she would be a professional one-day. It seemed to Barret that Tifa was doing the most talking and that Cloud wasn't really paying much attention.

As soon as Cloud saw Barret enter the room, he leaped to his feet and said goodbye to Tifa and Marlene.

"Have fun, and please try to make it back in one piece," she begged.

"Don't worry Tifa," Cloud boasted, "What could possibly hurt two heroes like us?" He flexed his muscles and smiled charmingly at her.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," she sighed as they left the house.

When Cloud and Barret stepped outside, Barret looked around before turning on Cloud in shock, "How did you get here? I don't see a chocobo anywhere!"

"Oh, I just ran here. I um… didn't think of bringing a chocobo," Cloud said as he shook his head, realizing his mistake.

"Okay then, I guess we'll just have to take my car. Where exactly are we heading?" Barret asked as they got into his rusty old Jeep.

After a moment of thought Cloud responded, "I think we should head for Cosmo Canyon to ask Nanaki for help. I'd also like to ask his grandfather, Bugenhagen, some questions."

"You just had to pick somewhere across the ocean didn't you?" Barret muttered.

The rest of the trip to Junon Harbor was quiet except for the music blasting from the radio.

They reached the harbor just in time to drive onto the first boat leaving that morning. After parking the car on the lowest level they walked to a two-person room and settled down. The room only had a small closet, a table, and two chairs, but the two men were glad to be able to stretch their legs as they sat down. Before they could get really comfortable they both faintly heard a strange sound from the closet.

"Did… you just hear a cough?" they whispered to each other at the same time.

Cloud lightly got to his feet and quietly walked over to the closet, while Barret readied his gun to shoot whatever might come bursting out. Cloud started raising his fingers and once he reached three he yanked the door open. An orange and green ball rolled out surprising both of them.

"Don't hurt me!" a female voice shouted and the ball started quivering.

Cloud and Barret shared surprised glances before lowering their weapons, realizing this strange ball wasn't a threat.

"You sound a lot like someone I know," Cloud said suspiciously, "Is that you Yuffie?"

"Cloud?" the ball said, un-rolling itself and a small girl dressed like a ninja stood up.

"Yuffie… why exactly were you in our closet?" Barret asked in confusion.

"Well you see, I wasn't hiding in _your_ closet, I just needed a place to hide," Yuffie said as she blushed.

"Yuffie! What did you steal this time!" Cloud asked angrily.

"Nothing! I swear! I'm… just not supposed to be on this ship, " she said guiltily. "Anyways why are you two here? I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed gleefully and ran forward to give them hugs.

Cloud put his hand out and stopped her, however, before she could reach him, "Thanks Yuffie but I would prefer to keep my materia," he said laughingly.

Barret looked down in shock and realized that he, in fact, was missing all his materia. "Yuffie!" he shouted angrily.

Yuffie smiled up at him sheepishly before she dug into her pockets and brought out his materia. "Sorry, sometimes I just can't control myself," she laughed.

The three of them chatted until they heard the horn announcing that they were approaching land.

"Hey guys it was great getting to know you but I'm afraid I can't go with you… Sorry but I have important business in the north. Maybe we'll see each other some other time okay?" Yuffie quickly blurted out. Before either Cloud or Barret could react she scampered out.

"That was… odd," Cloud remarked as they got into the car. "What business could she possibly have in the north? Oh well, on to Cosmo Canyon!"

**Author's Note: I know this chapter didn't really advance the plot much but I needed some way to introduce Yuffie. I promise that the next chapter will progress the plot a lot. Don't worry Yuffie fans, she will be making another VERY funny appearance later on. Plz R&R!**

**Editing Notes: Once again added Marlene in as well as a few minor changes.**


	4. Another Old Face

**Chapter 3: Another Old Face**

As Cloud worked hard to clean the coffee out of his armor and Tifa cleaned the sofa, Barret ran upstairs and began preparing for the trip. He was sad that he would be leaving Tifa and Marlene, but he and Tifa had both agreed that one of them had to go, and there was no way he was going to let Tifa go. When he stomped into the living room twenty minutes later, he found Tifa and Cloud chatting about what had happened to each of them since they separated. The room was filled with beautiful music as Marlene practiced the piano. She had only been playing it for five months but it was already obvios that she would be a professional one-day. It seemed to Barret that Tifa was doing the most talking and that Cloud wasn't really paying much attention.

As soon as Cloud saw Barret enter the room, he leaped to his feet and said goodbye to Tifa and Marlene.

"Have fun, and please try to make it back in one piece," she begged.

"Don't worry Tifa," Cloud boasted, "What could possibly hurt two heroes like us?" He flexed his muscles and smiled charmingly at her.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," she sighed as they left the house.

When Cloud and Barret stepped outside, Barret looked around before turning on Cloud in shock, "How did you get here? I don't see a chocobo anywhere!"

"Oh, I just ran here. I um… didn't think of bringing a chocobo," Cloud said as he shook his head, realizing his mistake.

"Okay then, I guess we'll just have to take my car. Where exactly are we heading?" Barret asked as they got into his rusty old Jeep.

After a moment of thought Cloud responded, "I think we should head for Cosmo Canyon to ask Nanaki for help. I'd also like to ask his grandfather, Bugenhagen, some questions."

"You just had to pick somewhere across the ocean didn't you?" Barret muttered.

The rest of the trip to Junon Harbor was quiet except for the music blasting from the radio.

_"It's Friday night_

_What's going on tonight_

_I'll see her later on tonight_

_But now it's time to roll_

_This somber state is getting old_

__

Well I never do what I am told

_So now we're gonna roll_

_And now we're gonna roll_

__

With the top down seat back rollin' in my Cadillac

_With the top down seat back rollin' in my Cadillac…"_

They reached the harbor just in time to drive onto the first boat leaving that morning. After parking the car on the lowest level they walked to a two-person room and settled down. The room only had a small closet, a table, and two chairs, but the two men were glad to be able to stretch their legs as they sat down. Before they could get really comfortable they both faintly heard a strange sound from the closet.

"Did… you just hear a cough?" they whispered to each other at the same time.

Cloud lightly got to his feet and quietly walked over to the closet, while Barret readied his gun to shoot whatever might come bursting out. Cloud started raising his fingers and once he reached three he yanked the door open. An orange and green ball rolled out surprising both of them.

"Don't hurt me!" a female voice shouted and the ball started quivering.

Cloud and Barret shared surprised glances before lowering their weapons, realizing this strange ball wasn't a threat.

"You sound a lot like someone I know," Cloud said suspiciously, "Is that you Yuffie?"

"Cloud?" the ball said, un-rolling itself and a small girl dressed like a ninja stood up.

"Yuffie… why exactly were you in our closet?" Barret asked in confusion.

"Well you see, I wasn't hiding in _your_ closet, I just needed a place to hide," Yuffie said as she blushed.

"Yuffie! What did you steal this time!" Cloud asked angrily.

"Nothing! I swear! I'm… just not supposed to be on this ship, " she said guiltily. "Anyways why are you two here? I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed gleefully and ran forward to give them hugs.

Cloud put his hand out and stopped her, however, before she could reach him, "Thanks Yuffie but I would prefer to keep my materia," he said laughingly.

Barret looked down in shock and realized that he, in fact, was missing all his materia. "Yuffie!" he shouted angrily.

Yuffie smiled up at him sheepishly before she dug into her pockets and brought out his materia. "Sorry, sometimes I just can't control myself," she laughed.

The three of them chatted until they heard the horn announcing that they were approaching land.

"Hey guys it was great getting to know you but I'm afraid I can't go with you… Sorry but I have important business in the north. Maybe we'll see each other some other time okay?" Yuffie quickly blurted out. Before either Cloud or Barret could react she scampered out.

"That was… odd," Cloud remarked as they got into the car. "What business could she possibly have in the north? Oh well, on to Cosmo Canyon!"

**Author's Note: I know this chapter didn't really advance the plot much but I needed some way to introduce Yuffie. I promise that the next chapter will progress the plot a lot. The music on the radio, Cadillac, was by my favorite band MEST. Don't worry Yuffie fans, she will be making another VERY funny appearance later on. Plz R&R!**

**Editing Notes: Once again added Marlene in as well as a few minor changes.**


	5. Q&A

**Chapter 4: QA**

By the time Cloud and Barret finally drove into Cosmo Canyon the sun was setting behind them. Both of the men looked around in awe as the canyon walls started lighting up as if they were catching on fire. As they continued driving deeper into the canyon, they noticed what looked like several, small, moving flames rapidly approaching them from all sides. Before either of them could react, seven enormous cats leaped onto their car. Unlike normal cats, these had thick, red fur, huge claws and teeth, and, most surprising of all, flames at the end of their tails.

To Cloud and Barret's shock, the largest of the cats growled, "Stop the car now humans. Your kind are not welcome here. Unfortunately for you, humans who wander in here end up as our dinner," the cat finished, barring its razor sharp teeth.

Seeing as how they weren't really in a position to argue, Barret stopped the car and stepped out along with Cloud, the two men desperately thinking of a way to get out of this predicament. The cats made a circle around the two men and started slowly pacing around them. Before things got out of control Cloud spoke up.

"We mean you no harm," he said, raising his hands over his head as he spoke, "We are just seeking someone who looks like you, his name is Nanaki."

Upon hearing that name, the circle immediately stopped spinning and all the cats whipped their heads around to stare at Cloud.

"I don't know how you know the name of our father, human, but if what you say is true then he will know you as well. We will take you to our home and see if our father actually knows you. Or, if you will be tonight's dinner," the largest one finished, grinning and revealing all of his teeth.

The nine of them continued walking in the direction Barret had been driving, the car left behind where they had been ambushed. As it slowly became darker and the red light faded from the cliffside, the flames of the animal's tails became brighter. Soon, Cloud and Barret were forced to use them to see the rocky ground and prevent themselves from tripping.

After an hour, the party reached the small observatory where Cloud and Barret knew Nanaki and his grandfather lived. The largest of their captors entered the building, while the others sat down and stared hungrily at the two captives.

Shortly after the largest cat left, a much larger one leaped out the door and collided right into Cloud, knocking him to the ground. Fearing that he was about to be eaten alive, Cloud started punching the cat before he realized that it was just licking his face.

"Cloud! My old friend how have you been?" Nanaki roared. "It has been so long since we've seen each other, you must meet my wife and kids!"

"I think we've already met your kids Nanaki," Cloud gasped, "Now could you please get off me so I can breathe?"

As Cloud stood up he saw the eldest of Nanaki's sons walk out of the door, lashing his tail and glaring hatefully at Cloud. "I guess this means we don't get to eat them," he snarled.

"Kianan! How dare you speak to the ones who freed me from the cage Hojo imprisoned me in! You will apologize this instant and go tell your mother what you have done," Nanaki scolded his eldest son. "Come my friends, enter my dwelling and be welcome, I am sorry for the rudeness my son showed you. Sometimes he reminds me of myself at that age," Nanaki said lightly before continuing. "We don't appreciate most humans entering our canyon since most of them desire out fur, not our voices. I am eager to learn why you are here."

The three of them left the children outside and climbed up to where Nanaki lived. They settled down, Cloud in a plush armchair, Barret on a wooden stool, and Nanaki sprawled on the couch. The three old friends shared their stories of what had over the past six months before Cloud brought up why they were there.

"You need to ask my grandfather questions, and about bringing Aeris back to life at that! It is a very noble idea Cloud, I wish you luck in your quest. While I wish I could accompany you, my children are still very young and they must grow up to continue the survival of our species. I am very sorry but I hope you understand," Nanaki said to Cloud, bowing his head. "Currently Bugenhagen is asleep and I would hate to wake him. I must ask that you speak to him in the morning when he wakes up. For now please allow me to show you to your rooms."

Nanaki led his friends to individual rooms of their own, made sure they were comfortable, and returned to his own room. Cloud was too excited to sleep by the prospect of finally getting answers to his questions, so he walked outside and sat down in a chair on the balcony. He tilted his head back and gazed out at the stars.

"_Where are you Aeris?" _Cloud thought. _"Which star is yours? Why aren't you here beside me? Barret and Tifa have found happiness together. Nanaki has found a wife and has seven children! Will we ever find happiness together? Will we have children? Where are you! It's time for your star to come home!"_

As he slowly passed into the realm of dreams, Cloud thought he heard a woman's voice say, _"I am in your heart, love."_

That night Cloud did not have the same nightmare as he had the past six months. That night Cloud had the happiest dream he had ever had in his life.

Cloud woke to a gentle tap on his shoulder and leaped to his feet, "Aeris!" he shouted.

"Uh… no Cloud, its me Barret. Sorry if I woke you from a nice dream, but it's really close to lunchtime and Bugenhagen is getting tired of waiting for you to wake up," Barret replied.

"_I could have sworn I heard I heard Aeris' voice,"_ Cloud thought. "Sorry Barret, lead me to him."

Cloud followed Barret all the way to the top of the building where he saw Nanaki curled up on a rug and Bugenhagen floating in a circle.

"There you are my boy, "Bugenhagen said, "Don't you know it's rude to keep an old man waiting! Once Nanaki told me about your plan I couldn't wait to hear the exact details! So what questions do you need answered?" he said eagerly, bouncing up and down in the air.

"I need to know if using the White materia will bring Aeris back to life," Cloud responded.

Bugenhagen stopped circling and stared at Cloud, Nanaki tilted his head and looked at Cloud in shock as well.

"I hope you know that the White materia is the strongest materia known to mankind Cloud. Messing around with it could have serious repercussions! Besides, only an Ancient or someone with vast strength can control the power that resides inside. I'm not saying you aren't strong, I just feel that you might not be strong enough," Bugenhagen said.

"I understand your concerns and am grateful. I will not be swayed from my decision, however, and I need you to answer if what I ask is even possible," Cloud said firmly.

Bugenhagen lowered his head and started slowly scratching his chin as he thought. After a few minutes he raised his head and looked at Cloud with sadness in his eyes.

"To the best of my knowledge it would be possible to bring Aeris back using the White materia. However, I once again caution you to be careful! The spell might bring back only her but it also might bring back others. Others whom we most certainly don't want back! There is no way to be fully sure that this is safe but I cannot lie to you Cloud. Go and bring your loved one back into this world, I wish you luck," Bugenhagen said solemnly.

"Thank you very much Bugenhagen, you have given me the hope I needed to continue my journey," Cloud said, his voice full of sincerity. "I promise that I will be careful and that I will return with Aeris once she is back. Farewell."

Cloud and Barret said goodbye to Nanaki, his wife, and his children before they began the long walk back to Barret's jeep.

"What now Cloud?" Barret inquired as they walked through the beautiful canyon.

"Well, we need to get to where Aeris died so we can retrieve the White materia. The only way I can think of getting to the northern continent is flying, so we're off to find Cid!" Cloud exclaimed as they hopped into the jeep and drove off.

**Authors Note: WOW! That was long! I hope you liked it and just so you know the rest of the chapters are probably going to be as long as this one. Kianan is a name I made myself by mixing the letters in Nanaki, if you want to use it in your own story just send me an e-mail. Thanks for reading and please respond to tell me if you like it!**

****

Editing Notes: Along with other changes I fixed Bugenhagen, I forgot he floats and doesn't walk.


	6. Missing

**Chapter 5: Missing**

Barret parked the jeep outside the cozy little house on the outskirts of Rocket Town. The two men got out of the car and walked up the brick walkway, past the lush grass, to the door.

"I hope Cid still lives here," Cloud said as he rang the rocket shaped doorbell.

Cloud's concerns were erased as the door opened and a large cloud of smoke came pouring out. Cloud and Barret started coughing as they glared at the large man standing in the doorway, a cigar smoking in his right hand.

"Cloud! Barret! Good to see you! Why are you here?" Cid asked, a smile appearing on his face at the sight of his old friends.

"Dear, aren't you going to invite them in?" a woman's voice called from somewhere in the house.

"Of course I was going to woman! I was just greeting them first. Its been ages since we've seen each other, come on in and make yourselves comfortable," Cid said as he gestured Cloud and Barret inside.

Once again Cloud found himself admiring the inside of a house. _"When I find Aeris we're going to have a house as nice as this!"_ he thought to himself.

The house was a masterpiece. Someone who knew what they were doing had obviously crafted it with love and care. In this case it was most likely Cid, a master engineer. The outside was a deep brown made with wood that Cloud had never seen before. The flowerbeds under every window were filled with varieties of flowers, all looking well taken care of. The grass was emerald green and had just been mowed. Inside the house was just as beautiful. The floors were covered in plush rugs; the walls were the same beautiful wood as the outside and had spectacular paintings hanging on them.

Cid led them to the living room which was even more stunning then the rest of the house. Several large couches took up one part of the room, a beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling, a piano was sitting in the corner with a model rocket sitting on top, and an ornate gold inlay table sat near the door with two places set for dinner. There were also several paintings on the walls and one in particular caught Cloud's attention. It was a detailed picture of the group that had saved the world from Meteor six months ago. He saw himself in it, but what stuck him the most was the girl standing next to him, dressed in pink with a long braid draped over her shoulder. _"AERIS?"_ he thought in surprise, his eyes widening in shock as his face paled.

A woman in her thirties rose to her feet from the chair she had been sitting in and greeted them. "Oh its so good to see you two again! Cloud? What's wrong, you look as if you've seen a ghost," Shera exclaimed in shock.

"How is Aeris in that painting!" he exclaimed pointing at the picture.

The three of them all turned to Cloud and looked at him in confusion.

"Um… Cloud are you feeling okay?" Cid asked. "Aeris isn't in that picture, she died, remember?"

Feeling frustration begin to crush his spirit, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the rug beneath him like a rag doll. Angrily Cloud pounded the surface with his fist, not caring if the impact would break his fingers.

"Cloud what the fuck is wrong with you man!" Cid shouted in shock. Shera glanced over at him with disapproval in her eyes because of the curse word and he shuffled his feet before speaking up again. "Um… what I meant to say was: what's wrong with you?"

"I am sick and tired of living like this!" Cloud screamed. "Cid I'm sorry that we can't stay to talk with you and Shera but we have to head to the City of Ancients immediately! Can we take the Tiny Bronco?" Cloud asked.

"The City! MY PLANE! Cloud what's the meaning of this!" Cid exclaimed in surprise.

"I have a plan to bring Aeris back to life," Cloud explained hurriedly, "but I need to use the Tiny Bronco to get to the City. Please Cid, I really need to use your plane, I can't think of any other way to get there as fast. I'm begging you!"

"Alright alright! You can borrow the Little Bronco! Just make sure you bring it back in one piece! I don't want to have to rebuild it again!" Cid shouted as he threw his arms in the air.

"Maybe I should go out and check to make sure that its safe to fly dear…" Shera whispered.

"Damn, woman! How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about safety so much?" Cid questioned in annoyance.

"_They make a perfect couple,"_ Cloud thought to himself as he thanked Cid and Shera and went out the back door with Barret. As the two of them entered the plane they could still hear Cid shouting, and to their surprise, Shera was standing up to him. _"So much has changed…"_ Cloud thought to himself sadly. _"Its time something changed in my favor!"_

Barret took the controls since he had the most experience. He thought he knew the basics of how to fly it, while Cloud admitted that he had no idea how to fly a plane. After 10 minutes of Barret trying to figure out how to turn it on, Cid stuck his head out the door and shouted instructions before Shera's hand appeared and dragged him back in. Cloud and Barret looked at each other in surprise before they finally figured out how to start the plane. Flying was a different matter entirely….

Ten hours later, and several brushes with death, Cloud and Barret finally reached the shore of the frozen northern continent.

"Cloud I never should have given you the controls! You almost crashed us into that mountain!" Barret shouted as he leaped out of the plane.

"Yah, and you almost flew us straight into the ocean!" Cloud retorted.

Both men turned their backs on the plane and sprinted away. They were going to have to find a boat to get back, there was no way either of them would ever set foot in a plane again.

After navigating their way through the Sleeping Forest they found themselves in the City of the Ancients. They immediately set out on the center path and walked through the narrow canyon until they reached the serene lake surrounded by the forest. Cloud knelt down at the side of the water, tears falling from his cheeks and landing in the lake, causing small ripples to break the perfect calm of the surface.

_"Just a little longer Aeris. Just a little longer until I can hold you in my arms again!"_

Cloud got to his feet, whipped the tears off his cheeks, and motioned for Barret to follow him into the small house at the edge of the lake. They walked down the stairs inside and emerged to find the pillars coming out of the water where Aeris had been praying to prevent Sephiroth's plans from coming to fruition. Cloud pulled his sword from his back and handed it to Barret.

"I'll be back once I find the materia," he told Barret as he performed a graceful swan dive into the water. The water was crystal clear and pleasantly warm to the touch.

Several minutes later Cloud's head broke the surface and he grabbed another breath of air before swimming back under. Barret watched him repeat this five more times until he finally climbed out of the water glaring.

"Dammit, I found the spot where it fell, there's a small indent on the bottom but its empty!" Cloud shouted in frustration. "There's no animals in this water so it wasn't eaten… That means that someone must have taken it… But who, for one thing, would know about this materia, and secondly why would they steal it?"

"You don't think Sephiroth is still alive do you?" Barret asked fear entering his voice.

"No, I'd know if he was," Cloud replied. "But that still doesn't answer my…" Cloud stopped talking as an idea struck him like a lightning bolt.

The two men looked at each other at the same time. "It couldn't have been…" they said at the same time, faces a mirror of shock, confusion, and outrage.

"YUFFIE!" Cloud screamed at the top of his lungs.

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long for me to write but I was having trouble coming up with what to write. I was also busy writing Training and Possession so this got delayed a little longer then I hoped. I hope you enjoyed this, plz respond! This fic is nearing its conclusion, only about 3-4 chapters left…. Sniff :(**

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Editing Note: Cool, no changes. The next chapter should be up after I finish with a new idea I just came up with.


	7. Rebirth

**Chapter 6: Rebirth**

When the echoes of his scream died away, Cloud heard the sound of rock hitting rock and turned to his right to stare at the cliff wall. Little pieces of stone were raining down from above, and when he glanced up he barely glimpsed an orange shoe disappear over the lip. Cloud instantly recognized Yuffie's shoe and began scaling the cliff face as fast as he could. The thought that Yuffie was stealing his only hope drove him up the cliff faster then was safe, but he managed to reach the top with only one close call that left Barret shaking in his boots.

At the top of the cliff Cloud quickly scanned the landscape and saw Yuffie running off at full speed to his left. He set out in pursuit, rage making him run faster then he had ever run before in his life.

"Stop running Yuffie!" he screamed out in anger.

Yuffie glanced over her shoulder and saw Cloud gaining on her uncomfortably fast. Her eyes widened when she saw the raging fire burning in his eyes and she started running faster. She had no idea why Cloud wanted the White materia so badly but she didn't want to find out. Besides, she had found it first so it was hers by right.

Unfortunately, by looking over her shoulder, Yuffie was no longer looking in front of herself, causing her to trip over a large stone. Cloud had hoped that this might happen and put on a burst of speed. Yuffie scrambled to her feet as fast as she could but Cloud tackled her as soon as she managed to get up. They tumbled around on the ground for a while until Cloud finally managed to pin her to the ground.

"Give me the materia **now** Yuffie," Cloud snarled. "I'm sick and tired of you being such a damn thief! Why do you always try to ruin other peoples lives?" he shouted cruelly, his face deformed in a vicious snarl.

Yuffie started shaking and crying. She had never seen Cloud like this before and he was terrifying her.

"Cloud please stop!" she whimpered. "Get off me and I'll give you the materia, I promise!" she cried, shaking in terror.

Cloud stood up and snatched the materia from her when she pulled it out of her pocket. As soon as she was rid of it, Yuffie stumbled off crying as Cloud turned around and walked back towards the cliff, thankful he finally had the materia. A voice inside him told him he was being too harsh with Yuffie but he ruthlessly quashed it. Nothing was more important right then as bringing the Ancient back.

When Cloud reached the bottom of the cliff Barret looked at him in surprise before asking, "Cloud… are you feeling okay? You look a little… odd."

"I'm fine," Cloud snapped. "Now lets head back to the lake to perform the ceremony."

"_Ceremony? Something is definitely weird, maybe he's just really excited…"_ Barret thought as they walked back to the forest.

When they reached the lake Cloud walked to the shore and knelt down, his knees barely touching the water. He held the White materia out in front of him with both hands and began praying, his eyes firmly shut and all his thoughts on Aeris.

"_I need you so much," _he thought, _"You died before we had any chance to actually spend some real time together. Sephiroth ruined our future. It's all his fault! Now it's time for you to come back so we can live together in happiness my lost love! Come back to me Aeris!"_

After his last thought he opened his eyes, tightened his grip around the materia, and activated its power, hoping with all his heart that it would work. The materia started glowing a dull white and slowly got brighter and brighter until Cloud was forced to look away. Barret retreated into the forest, shielding his eyes as the clearing around the lake burst into white flames.

"Cloud!" he roared at the top of his lungs, "You've lost control! Get out of there!"

Cloud barely heard Barret's voice over the roaring sound in his ears but was unable to respond in anyway. He could feel the tremendous amount of power spilling out of the materia but was unable to pull his hands away. He was about to give up hope when he saw something rising up though the water out of the corner of his eye. As the shape neared the surface of the lake the materia in Cloud's hands started vibrating until his entire body was shaking. It exploded, hurling Cloud backwards into a tree, when the pink shape finally broke the surface.

"_Aeris…"_ was Cloud's last coherent thought before he fell unconscious.

-

__

White… Everything was so white… Shapes danced in front of the man floating in the white. Tifa, Barret, Marlene, Nanaki, Bugenhagen, Cid, Shera, Yuffie, Aeris, Sephiroth. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Just as it had six months ago, the Planet was once again crying out in pain. Wherever this white place was the man could hear these cries, and they frightened him. An old memory surfaced as he was lying there, something Bugenhagen had once told him, "To the best of my knowledge it would be possible to bring Aeris back using the White materia. However, I once again caution you to be careful! The spell might bring back only her but it also might bring back others. Others whom we most certainly don't want back!"

__

"What have I done!" the man moaned in despair. "Have I doomed the Planet?"

__

The man who couldn't remember his name kept floating, curled into a ball, shaking.

-

Cloud woke on his back, something cold pressed up against his neck. He opened his eyes to see that it was a sword. A long, thin sword with its hilt held by a black-gloved hand. A hand that belonged to a man towering over him dressed in complete black with green eyes and white-silver hair.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud whispered in horror.

**A/N: WOW! I wasn't planning on ending this chapter here but it's SUCH a good cliffhanger! Sorry I have to do it :) It's a little short for my taste but I love how it ends. If Cloud seems a little OOC in this chapter then that's a good thing. It's what I was aiming for. All will be explained in the next chapter.**


	8. The Final Confrontation

**Chapter 7: The Final Confrontation**

"Sephiroth…" Cloud whispered in horror, "How is this possible? We killed you six months ago."

"You did kill my body Cloud, but part of me remained inside you. That part could only emerge once you were angry enough. Back when you let your anger take control of you while chasing that girl I was finally able to take a semblance of control over you. My rebirth was completed when you thought of me before activating the White materia," Sephiroth smirked.

"Now I'm back, thanks to you, and I can attempt to destroy the Planet once again. This time, you and the Ancient won't be able to stop me," he snarled. "The only question is which of you I should kill first?"

Cloud looked around in confusion at Sephiroth's statement until he noticed a pink shape lying on the shore of the lake. By the way its chest was moving up and down he could tell that it was breathing.

"_AERIS!"_ Cloud thought excitedly, _"You're alive!"_

"Yes, the Ancient was brought back as well," Sephiroth growled in anger, noticing Cloud's excitement. "I wasn't able to prevent that, but now I'm not so sure that was a bad thing. By killing her again in front of you again it will only increase your suffering even more," Sephiroth said spitefully. "Then I will finish you off before hunting down and killing everyone responsible for what happened six months ago," Sephiroth said spitefully.

He pulled his sword away from Cloud's neck and started slowly walking toward Aeris.

"NOOOO!" Cloud screamed in pure agony. He tried to get to his feet but some invisible force prevented him from moving. Cloud started thrashing his body around in an attempt to break free but nothing seemed to work. Tears of frustration filled his eyes as Sephiroth turned to look back at him before raising the sword over Aeris' chest.

"I still have control of your body Cloud, there's nothing you can do," Sephiroth said as he readied the sword with both hands to pierce Aeris' heart.

Cloud suddenly recalled one of the things Sephiroth said to him and let his anger recede. He felt the invisible barrier vanish and jumped to his feet, drawing his sword as he stood. Sephiroth looked over in shock before viciously thrusting his sword downwards.

"The Ancient still dies!" he screamed furiously.

Cloud started running as fast as he could, even though he knew there was no way he would make it in time. Right before the sword pierced her clothing, however, a golden sphere shot out around her body, forcing the sword back.

Green eyes met green eyes as she opened hers and started into Sephiroth's. "I am the Planet's Protector and I will **not** allow you to harm it again," she said.

It had been ages since Cloud had last heard her voice and his tears of sadness changed to joy upon hearing her words. Sephiroth nervously stepped back, a look of confusion entering his eyes. He had planned on killing them both while they were still helpless and he had not prepared for events to turn out like this. Cloud stepped next to Aeris and smiled at her before shouting, "It's time for you to die for good Sephiroth. We end this today!"

Sephiroth snarled in anger before readying his sword. It had taken more then two people to kill him last time.

Cloud, deciding to end this battle quickly, leaped at Sephiroth and screamed, "OMNISLASH!" before performing his most powerful move. As he jumped back to Aeris' side he gauged his damage and was shocked to realize that Sephiroth didn't look hurt at all. Sephiroth started laughing uncontrollably at Cloud's feeble attempt to harm him before counterattacking.

Cloud screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees as Sephiroth's blade left a huge gaping cut across his chest. Aeris gasped in fear before pointing her finger at Sephiroth and muttering a single word, "Holy."

Sephiroth's laughter changed into a howl of pain as the spell smashed into him, knocking him onto his back and causing him to writhe in agony.

"I… will not… be defeated… by… a failure!" Sephiroth growled as he staggered to his feet, glaring at Cloud in hatred.

Cloud just looked at Sephiroth in disgust before pointing his sword at him and saying, "Ultima."

The spell, repeated four times because of the Quadra materia, crushed Sephiroth, brutally killing him, once and for all. The effort of casting the spell, however, caused Cloud to fall to the ground, unconscious.

"No! You can't die now Cloud! Not after we've finally found each other again!" Aeris cried out as she knelt by his side, tears rolling down her cheeks and gently splashing on his face.

After casting several cure spells Cloud's eyes finally opened and he smiled upon seeing Aeris' face.

"You really are back," he said happily, raising a hand to caress her cheek.

"Thanks to you," Aeris said as she looked deep into Cloud's eyes and smiled.

"Let's go find Barret and head home, everyone will be so excited to see you," Cloud said as he got to his feet and grabbed her hand.

Together they walked into the forest, happy to finally be together once again.

**The End**

**A/N: Sniff… It's… done? Well actually not quite, there's still going to be an Epilogue where Cloud and Aeris get to spend some quality time together ;) This fic will be moving to an R rating when I add that chapter so you'll have to look in that section if you want to read it. In general I'm very pleased with this story and I think it turned out really well, yay! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!**


	9. Together At Last

**Epilogue: Together At Last**

**A/N: This is a graphic sex scene, if you don't like this kind of writing then turn around, otherwise please continue:)**

Cloud stepped out of the shower and shivered as the cold air brushed against his skin. He had always hated leaving the warm showers he loved so much. He quickly grabbed a blue towel from where it lay hanging on the wall and started drying himself off before he snatched up his chocobo nightgown that Aeris had given him and pulled it on, glad it helped warm him up slightly. Once he was finished he walked out of the bathroom and eagerly hurried to the bedroom, grateful to spend another night together with his lost love.

Upon entering the room he was surprised to see Aeris standing at the foot of their huge bed. She eagerly looked up when he entered the room and smiled at him. Cloud was breath taken by the sight of her standing there in her pink nightgown. They had been together now for a week but Cloud still couldn't get over the sight of how beautiful his wife was. Her brown hair, back in its usual braid, her emerald green eyes, everything about her called out to him.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Cloud asked. "Normally your fast asleep when I finish my shower."

"I wanted tonight to be special Cloud," Aeris replied. "There's still something we haven't done that I've been wanting to do for a while," she finished in a rush, blushing slightly.

Cloud's eyes slightly widened in surprise as he realized what his wife was saying. He too had been wanting to make love with Aeris but he had been waiting till she was ready. The fact that tonight was going to be that special night excited him and started his blood flowing faster. He walked forward and wrapped his arms Aeris, tenderly kissing her as he gently started pulling her nightgown over her head. He carelessly tossed it aside when it cleared her head and gazed down at her naked body.

Aeris blushed even more as she saw the desire glowing in Cloud's eyes. She was amazed that she could provide him with such happiness. She let out a small moan as Cloud reached out and gently caressed her right breast. The feelings that were rushing through her body were completely foreign to her, but she found herself desiring more, much more. Deciding that it was only fair for Cloud to be naked as well, Aeris grabbed his nightgown and yanked it over his head. She let out a small gasp of surprise when she saw how big he was. All thoughts of surprise were erased from her mind, however, when she felt his fingers brush against her lower lips.

Cloud was surprised at how wet Aeris was, making his erection get slightly larger. He slowly inserted a single finger, hoping he wasn't hurting her. By her moans of pleasure and the way she passionately kissed him back, he could tell she was enjoying his actions. He slowly started to increase the frequency of his finger thrusts and when he thought she was reaching her climax he inserted a second finger, hoping it increased the pleasure without increasing the pain.

Aeris let out her loudest moan of the night as she felt his second finger enter her and she felt her entire body shake as she screamed and orgasmed. She collapsed onto the bed landing on her back, Cloud falling next to her. He rolled over on top of her and started gently kissing her right breast while using his hand to play with the other. Feeling like he needed some attention as well Aeris reached down and wrapped her hand around his erect shaft before she started rubbing it up and down. Hearing him moan, she continued with her actions; glad she could make him feel so good.

"Faster," Cloud panted, and she was only too happy to comply.

Cloud felt his entire body tense up as Aeris increased the speed of her hand and shortly after his entire body shook as he orgasmed, his seed shooting out onto her stomach.

"Cloud," Aeris whispered, "I want to feel you inside me."

"Okay, I'll try to be as gentle as I can" he said in concern. "I've heard it hurts."

"I don't care, I want you to take me now," she said.

Cloud positioned himself above her and slowly inserted himself in.

"_She's so tight!"_ he thought as he entered.

He saw her face contort in pain and almost withdrew before she motioned for him to continue. Once he was all the way in he started to pull back out, very slowly, checking to see how much pain Aeris seemed to be in. He was glad to see that the pain seemed to have receded and that she was panting and moaning again. It was her turn to ask him to go faster which he eagerly complied with.

As Cloud increased the speed of his thrusts Aeris felt her body tensing up again as she neared her second orgasm. By the sounds Cloud was making, she could tell that he too was on the brink. At exactly the same time, both of their bodies tensed up and they screamed as they orgasmed. Cloud collapsed onto her and they just lay there, smiling at each other in happiness.

After a few moments Cloud got to his feet and stared at the bed in shock.

"Oh shit…" he muttered.

"What is it?" Aeris asked in concern as she glanced around. "Oh my… is all that blood from me?"

"I'm afraid so… Looks like we're going to need new sheets. At any rate we should go take a shower and get clean, I don't want to fall asleep like this," Cloud replied.

He gently picked her up in both arms and carried her into the bathroom where he set her down before turning the water on. When it was warm enough they both stepped in and sighed as the water hit their bodies.

"Since we're both in here why don't we wash each other?" Cloud said with a wink.

Aeris responded by grabbing the bar of soap and lathering her hands with it before rubbing them over Cloud's chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles. By the way his penis was hardening she could tell that he was enjoying her touch as well.

"No fair," Cloud said with a smile, "Anywhere you get to touch, I get to touch!"

Cloud copied her and covered his hands in soap before starting to massage her breasts with both hands. Aeris moaned in pleasure at the feeling of his hands on her and she could feel her body getting excited for the third time that night.

Deciding to make things interesting, Cloud pulled the showerhead off its hook and directed the stream of water at Aeris' lower lips. By the way her breathing increased he could tell his idea had worked. Shortly after Aeris let out yet another loud scream as her entire body shook.

Aeris wanted Cloud to enjoy the moment as well, so she dropped to her knees and took his erection in her mouth. It was Cloud's turn to moan as she started moving her mouth up and down his shaft. After a few moments Cloud felt ready to burst and he told Aeris so she could move her head away. They tenderly kissed each other before finishing to clean themselves off. Once they were done they hopped out of the shower, wrapped towels around themselves, and returned to the bedroom to get their nightgowns.

Deciding that it would be too much work to change the bed sheets now, they grabbed several blankets from the closet and went to the living room to sleep on the couch. They smiled at each other before kissing as they cuddled up together.

"If it's a girl we're gonna call her Elayne, okay?" Cloud murmured, half asleep.

"Okay, but if it's a boy we call him Osiris," Aeris said sleepily.

The two of them passed into the world of dreams where they each saw wonderful visions of their future together along with their children.

**The Real End**

**A/N: And now it truly is over :( I hope you enjoyed this final chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it ;) Thank you for taking the time to read my story, please review to tell me what you thought of it!**


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